Santos Begins Championship Weekend with Pole
Fourth Pole of the Year for Points Leader
Thompson, CT — Bobby Santos took a big step toward earning his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title as he captured the Coors Light Pole Award in qualifying Saturday for the season finale Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing at Thompson International Speedway.
Santos, from nearby Franklin, Mass., laid down a fast lap of 18.709 seconds (120.263 mph) in Saturday’s qualifying session to earn his fourth pole of the season. He set the Whelen Modified Tour qualifying record in the season-opener at Thompson for his first pole and went on to win the race.
Ted Christopher, the two-time defending winner of the World Series, qualified second with a fast lap of 18.846 (119.389). Eric Berndt was third on the board at 18.885 (119.142).
Santos’ main completion on Sunday for the title is Mike Stefanik, who qualified fourth at 18.981 (118.540). Stefanik stands 37 points behind Santos, and is looking to become the first driver in NASCAR history to earn 10 series titles. The Coventry, R.I., driver has earned seven Whelen Modified Tour crowns and two more in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in his illustrious career.
Ron Silk, Rowan Pennink, Jimmy Blewett, Ed Flemke Jr., James Civali and George Brunnhoelzl III rounded out Saturday’s top 10 qualifiers.
Following time trials the top six qualifiers re-drew for starting position and Santos will retain his pole position on Sunday’s starting grid. Santos will be joined in the front row by Berndt with the second row made up of Christopher and Stefanik.
The 150-lap Sunoco World Series is set to take the green flag on Sunday at approximately 3:30 p.m.
Sources: Jason Cunningham/NASCAR WMT PR
Qualifying Results
NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour – Sunoco World Series Lineup
Race Sunday; Qualifying Saturday
at Thompson International Speedway
Thompson, Conn.
Lap Length: 0.625 miles
1. (4) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Dodge, 120.263
2. (54) Eric Berndt, Cromwell, Conn., Chevrolet, 119.142
3. (36) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 119.389
4. (16) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 118.540
5. (93) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 118.440
6. (6) Ron Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 118.458
7. (14) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 118.421
8. (10) Ed Flemke, Jr., Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 118.315
9. (79) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Pontiac, 118.290
10. (46) George Brunnhoelzl, III, W. Babylon, N.Y., Chevrolet, 118.216
11. (76) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 118.166
12. (28) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Chevrolet, 118.166
13. (98) Erick Rudolph, Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 118.104
14. (7) Burt Myers, Walnut Cove, N.C., Ford, 118.104
15. (2) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 118.030
16. (91) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 117.968
17. (58) Eric Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 117.962
18. (52) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Chevrolet, 117.900
19. (51) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 117.857 *
20. (0) Ron Yuhas, Jr., Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 117.820
21. (59) Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, N.Y., Chevrolet, 117.764
22. (90) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury, Conn., Chevrolet, 117.702
23. (1) Rob Summers, Vernon, Conn., Chevrolet, 117.647
24. (17) Glen Reen, Wilbraham, Mass., Chevrolet, 117.604
25. (18) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Ford, 117.414
26. (8) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 117.304
27. (99) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 117.114
28. (3) Ryan Preece, Berlin, Conn., Chevrolet, 116.659 +
29. (39) Richie Pallai, Jr., Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Chevrolet, 116.003 *+
30. (33) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 116.442 +
31. (26) Gary McDonald, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Pontiac, 114.138 +
32. (38) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 114.673 +
* Sunoco Rookie of the Year Contender
+ Provisional starter
NOTE: Top six qualifiers re-drew for starting position